As a breastfeeding mom my appetite and cravings are off the charts, even worse than they were during pregnancy. I’m always on the lookout for foods that satisfy my cravings but also have health benefits, especially when it comes to desserts and treats.
To satisfy my newly developed sweet tooth I came up with this delicious oatmeal cookie recipe. These are full of fibre and essential nutrients like magnesium, folate and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They also double as lactation cookies since oats and flax are both galactagogues which means that they boost milk production. Here is a run-down of some of the main ingredients.
Oats
Oats are so amazingly full of fiber and nutrients like polyunsaturated fatty acids, manganese, selenium, tryptophan, magnesium and protein. Fiber is so important for digestion and maintaining a healthy gut. It is also essential for hormonal health as it helps to remove excess estrogen from the body. It is one of the first foods that is recommended to breastfeeding mom’s to increase milk supply due. It also contains beta-gluca that helps to regulate blood sugar and keep it in control throughout the day which is why it is such a common breakfast food.
Flax
Flax is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids which is important for staving off the dreaded mommy brain! It is also high in fiber, manganese, magnesium and folate. Flax contains lignan phytoestrogens which are very important because they block bad forms of estrogen so that they don’t get into your tissues and are flushed out before they can do anything nasty which is why flax is recommended to anyone with a hormone related cancer such as breast, ovarian and prostate. The lignans block the bad estrogen and the fiber flushes it out – not bad for such a tiny little seed! Flax is also highly recommended to boost milk supply.
Chocolate
Chocolate is good for so many reasons. The biggest and best reason has got to be its high content of magnesium which helps us to relax and sleep better. The darker the chocolate, the higher the magnesium content, so definitely opt for a darker chocolate chip for these cookies.
Gluten-Free Flax & Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup organic butter (or organic coconut oil)
1 1/2 cups sucanat
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice or raw sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (the darker, the better!)
1 cup flax seeds
2 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. In another bowl beat on medium until well blended the softened butter (or coconut oil), sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until smooth then add in the chocolate chips, flax seeds and oats until combined. Using two tablespoons, measure a tablespoon worth of dough onto a cookie sheet, using the second spoon to scrape the dough off and flatten the cookies so that they are about 1/2 an inch thick. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning the baking sheet about halfway through for even browning. Cookies should be brown at the edges and still soft in the middle. Let cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to cooling racks. This makes approximately 3 dozen cookies and they freeze extremely well if you want to make an even bigger batch!
References
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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard
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